Departmental Guidance (Evidence/Documentary Access)

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what her policy is with regard to (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department giving evidence to the (i) Scottish Parliament, (ii) National Assembly for Wales and (iii) Northern Ireland Assembly committees; and to what categories of document she gives (A) full access, (B) restricted access and (C) no access to the (1) Scottish Parliament, (2) National Assembly for Wales, (3) Northern Ireland Assembly and (4) House of Commons select committees.

Bridget Prentice: Requests for the attendance of Ministers or officials to give evidence to the devolved legislatures, and for the provision of information to the assemblies, will be considered on a case by case basis. This consideration will reflect the principles set out in the Cabinet Office guidance "Departmental Evidence and Response to Select Committees (July 2005)" and the Department for Constitutional Affairs' Devolution Guidance Note 12, "Attendance of UK Ministers and Officials at Committees of the devolved legislatures"; and the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act.
	The principles underlying the provision of information to House of Commons Select Committee are set out in "Departmental Evidence and Response to Select Committees", particularly sections 4B and 4C.

High Sheriffs

Alan Beith: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the arrangements were for (a) the advertisement of vacancies and (b) the selection of nominees in preparing the 2005 nominations for high sheriffs in England and Wales.

Harriet Harman: The arrangements for seeking nominees are a matter for individual counties. Local selection panels are however encouraged to cast the net as widely as possible and to consider candidates from a wide variety of backgrounds.

London Olympics

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with the Disability Rights Commission on promoting the London Paralympics; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not, at this stage, held discussions with the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) on the promotion of the London 2012 Paralympic games. However, the DRC has been involved in the preparations for the games through their membership of London 2012's London Disability Organisations Forum. As preparations gather pace, discussions are taking place between the 2012 stakeholders to determine the best way to engage and consult with disability organisations on various aspects of the games over the coming years.
	We are determined that the London 2012 Paralympic games will be a showcase for Paralympic sport, strengthening the Paralympic Movement and setting new standards for services, facilities and opportunities for disabled people. The games will inspire greater numbers of young people—and in particular those with disabilities—to become involved with sport and to aspire to elite performance.

London Olympics

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions her Department has had with regional and local bodies about plans to attract Olympics-related activities to Northamptonshire in the run up to the 2012 games.

Richard Caborn: We have established a Nations and Regions Group to ensure the whole of the UK is engaged with and benefits from the Games in 2012.
	The Nations and Regions Group met on 4 November to discuss how best to co-ordinate UK wide interests in staging the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and will meet again on 24 January to confirm its remit and membership.
	Each of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the regions of England is establishing a regional working group, responsible for taking work forward and reporting to the Nations and Regions Group. They will include representatives from regional development agencies (RDAs), regional sports boards and other relevant stakeholders. Under this arrangement, Northamptonshire would participate through the East Midlands Group.
	The RDAs will of course play a vital role in this work, and we will write to them shortly to ask them to develop plans to maximise business and development opportunities offered by the 2012 Olympics in their regions.

National Coaching Certificate

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions her Department has had with the (a) National Governing Bodies and (b) the Department for Education and Skills on the implementation of the National Coaching Certificate.

Richard Caborn: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has worked closely with Sportscoach UK and 21 National Governing Bodies to develop their sport specific qualifications in line with UK Coaching Certificate Levels 1–5. Six of these National Governing Bodies have been involved in a UKCC endorsement pilot. A further 10 sports are working with Sportscoach UK to progress their sport specific qualifications.
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has been involved in discussions with Department for Education and Skills regarding the level of support available for the UK Coaching Certificate from Learning and Skills Councils and I have written to Phil Hope, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Skills regarding this issue.

National Sports Foundation

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects to announce details of the National Sports Foundation; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The Chancellor outlined details of the National Sports Foundation in his pre-Budget report document "Britain meeting the global challenge: Enterprise, fairness and responsibility".
	The National Sports Foundation will be established from April 2006, bringing public and private sectors together to invest in grass roots sport. The Government has committed £27.5 million over the next two years, and will be encouraging the private sector to match this funding, aiming to raise at least a further £30 million from private investors over this period.
	The foundation will aim to attract new sources of investment from both large and small private sector firms not traditionally associated with sports sponsorship, ensuring the investment is targeted at community sport development rather than elite and professional sport. To do this, the foundation will:
	be a high profile, one-stop shop for private investors and community sport organisations who need project funding, with a single web-based point of access;
	act as broker, bringing together investors and projects to meet the needs of both;
	have a national and regional dimension;
	have a visible, respected and enterprising "Champion" promoting the benefits of investing in the foundation;
	fund initiatives that focus on increasing participation, particularly projects that promote diversity in sport, or improve the infrastructure of community sporting provision, for example by providing facilities and coaches; and capitalise on the nationwide Olympic "feel-good" factor to ensure lasting benefits for community sport.

Sport (West Midlands)

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what financial assistance has been given to junior (a) Rugby League, (b) Rugby Union, (c) football and (d) cricket in (i) the West Midlands, (ii) Staffordshire and (iii) Tamworth constituency in each of the last five years.

Richard Caborn: Exchequer and Lottery funding is allocated by Sport England to the National Governing Bodies of Sports. It is not possible to identify the funding that went specifically to juniors as Sport England does not capture this information. However, benefiting young people is a key priority for Sport England's investment in National Governing Bodies and the potential for projects to benefit junior sport is integral to funding decisions.
	The Exchequer funding made available to the governing bodies of the sports mentioned over the last five years is as follows:
	Rugby Union £2.3 million, and £9.4 million through the Community Club Development Programme (CCDP)
	Cricket £2.1 million, and £9.4 million through CCDP
	Football £0.8 million, and £9.4 million through CCDP
	Rugby League £1.4 million.
	As the funding is awarded to the governing body we are not able to provide information on figures to a specific area or region.
	However, the table summarises Sport England's lottery investment over the last five years in the West Midlands, Staffordshire and Tamworth.
	
		Lottery awards (including Awards For All) in the last five years £
		
			  2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 West Midlands   
			 Cricket 628,974 584,065 602,058 579,691 133,433 83,538 
			 Football 872,839 1,069,784 619,083 569,147 262,798 79,851 
			 Rugby League 17,088 24,466 36,581 26,536 19,970 24,991 
			 Rugby Union 322,693 75,056 90,628 209,416 481,450 2,995 
			 Staffordshire   
			 Cricket 258,739 190,270 32,669 19,544 9,769 7,155 
			 Football 225,212 77,833 85,884 72,641 26,155 — 
			 Rugby League 1,395 — — — — 3,000 
			 Rugby Union 6,241 — 4,987 5,000 — — 
			 Tamworth   
			 Cricket — 4,648 — — 4,060 — 
			 Football 35,884 4,858 3,194 — 8,105 — 
			 Rugby League — — — — — — 
			 Rugby Union — — — — — —

Sports Funding

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what financial assistance has been given to junior (a) Rugby League, (b) Rugby Union, (c) cricket and (d) football in (i) the North West, (ii) Lancashire and (iii) Chorley in each of the last five years.

Richard Caborn: It is not possible to split the funding that went to juniors as Sport England does not specifically capture this information. However, benefiting young people is a key priority for all of their community investment and the potential for projects to benefit junior sport is integral to every funding decision made.
	The Exchequer funding made available to the governing bodies of the sports over the last five years is as follows:
	Rugby Union—£2.3million, and £9.4million through the Community Club Development Programme (CCDP)
	Cricket—£2.1 million, and £9.4 million through CCDP
	Football—£0.8million, and £9.4 million through CCDP
	Rugby League—£1.4 million.
	As the funding is awarded to the governing body we are not able to provide information on figures to a specific area or region.
	I can, however tell you what lottery money Sport England have invested in the North West, Lancashire and Chorley. This is detailed in the following table:
	
		Lottery awards (including awards for all) in the last five years £
		
			  2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 North West   
			 Cricket 1,477,205 856,960 1,258,364 3,359,823 586,916 80,335 
			 Football 1,329,765 4,631,167 1,172,168 1,544,410 405,709 200,835 
			 Rugby League 356,657 753,716 125,567 705,612 1,377,480 31,780 
			 Rugby Union 107,763 563,060 357,496 1,058,444 199,701 34,881 
			
			 Lancashire   
			 Cricket 46,585 127,988 183,131 52,863 32,148 23,477 
			 Football 73,644 385,928 75,673 82,318 58,692 40,701 
			 Rugby League 14,314 4,127 8,665 7,130 39,362 — 
			 Rugby Union 14,113 181,107 182,260 4,830 11,550 4,963 
			
			 Chorley   
			 Cricket — 5,000 — 3,520 — 4,500 
			 Football — — — 9,886 — — 
			 Rugby League — — 3,695 — 49,203 — 
			 Rugby Union — — — — 5,000 —

Swimming Pools

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many public access 50 metre swimming pools there are in (a) England, (b) London and (c) Havering; and how many are planned prior to the Olympics in 2012.

Richard Caborn: There are sixteen 50 metre swimming pools with public access in England, of which two are in London. There are no 50 metre swimming pools in Havering. A further six pools are currently being developed and this includes two for the new Aquatic Centre in Stratford.
	An additional three 50 metre pools and two water polo pools are planned for the Olympic games and these will be redistributed following the games against an agreed legacy strategy.
	Sport England is working with the Amateur Swimming Association to consider swimming pool provision in London, including the impact of the Olympic games pool provision.

Departmental Costs

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) salary bill was and (b) administrative costs were for his Department in (i) each (A) nation and (B) region of the UK and (ii) London in 2004–05.

Don Touhig: The Ministry of Defence publishes pay costs by region in the HMT Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis (PESA). The data for 2003–04 is contained in Table 8.20 of the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2005 (Cm 6521) which was published in April 2005 (see page 131). We are currently undertaking work on the analysis of the 2004–05 data, and this will be published in the PESA tables in April 2006.
	MOD does not currently collect data on administrative budgets.

Media Monitoring

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the Department has spent on media monitoring activities in each of the last eight financial years.

Don Touhig: The following table sets out MOD's expenditure on media monitoring activities for the last two completed financial years. Information relating to the costs of media monitoring for the preceding six financial years in the format requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Financial year Expenditure (£ million)(2) 
		
		
			 2004–05 0.350 
			 2003–04 0.421 
		
	
	(2) This figure is made up of expenditure for daily press cutting services and a subscription to the Cabinet Office Media Monitoring Unit. The total is rounded to the nearest £1,000.

Departmental Costs

Alex Salmond: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the (a) salary bill was and (b) administrative costs were for his Department in (i) each (A) nation and (B) region of the UK and (ii) London in 2004–05.

Jim Fitzpatrick: As stated in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) Resource Accounts 2004–05 (HC 301, 20 July 2005), the total salary bill for ODPM was some £226,643,000. Total expenditure within the administration cost limit for the year, also taken from the accounts, was £310,744,000.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not monitor regional or central London administrative costs relating to the central Department separately. Such a breakdown could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	A breakdown, by English region, of expenditure and salaries (within the administration costs limit) by the Government Offices is set out as follows.
	
		
			   £ 
			   Government offices  Salary/expenditure Total administrative costs/expenditure (net of receipts) 
		
		
			 North East 10,214 13,887 
			 North West 12,060 17,778 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 9,463 13,454 
			 West Midlands 9,530 15,286 
			 East Midlands 9,035 11,937 
			 East 8,951 15,076 
			 South West 10,542 14,725 
			 South East 11,137 14,372 
			 London 13,177 18,870 
			 Regional co-ordination unit (in London) 2,260 6,025 
			 Total 96,369 141,410

Fire Services

Sarah Teather: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) genuine and (b) malicious fire emergency calls have been received in (i) Brent and (ii) London in each year since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The figures for the financial years from April 1999 are set out in the following table. The current computer incident recording system used by the London Fire Brigade (which has provided these figures) was introduced in April 1999 and there is no readily available data on a comparable basis for 1997 and 1998.
	(a) genuine calls are given as incidents attended which are either a primary fire, secondary fire, chimney fire, automatic false alarm or good intent false alarm.
	(b) Malicious calls are given as malicious false alarms attended.
	
		
			  Fires False alarms 
			  Primary fire Secondary fire Chimney fire AFAs Good intent All "genuine" calls to fires Malicious false alarms 
		
		
			 London
			 1999–2000 21,879 27,004 93 47,828 14,020 110,824 12,487 
			 2000–01 21,699 25,018 89 49,191 13,942 109,939 11,370 
			 2001–02 22,342 33,052 64 50,825 15,333 121,616 12,204 
			 2002–03 19,577 27,829 67 49,171 14,554 111,198 9,995 
			 2003–04 20,054 37,255 75 50,836 16,035 124,255 9,864 
			 2004–05 17,379 22,948 65 51,562 14,308 106,262 7,586 
			 
			 Brent
			 1999–2000 795 510 2 1,263 411 1,307 429 
			 2000–01 745 483 1 1,312 380 1,229 482 
			 2001–02 857 515 1 1,273 403 1,373 379 
			 2002–03 726 495 0 1,191 407 1,221 376 
			 2003–04 771 743 1 1,319 447 1,515 402 
			 2004–05 623 501 0 1,125 399 1,124 312

Formula Grant

Jim Cousins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the assumed population of the City of Newcastle-upon-Tyne was for formula grant purposes in (a) 2002–03, (b) 2004–05, (c) 2005–06 and (d) 2006–07.

Phil Woolas: The population figures for City of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne used in formula grant calculations in 2002–03, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06 and 2006–07 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Settlement year 
			 Mid Year Estimate (MYE) 2002–03 2003–04 Amended 2003–04 published in 2004–05 2004–05 Amended 2004–05 published in 2006–07 2005–06 2006–07 
		
		
			 2000 270,484 — — — — — — 
			 2001 — 259,567 — — — — — 
			 2001 (Revised) — — 266,241 — — — — 
			 2002 — — — 260,268 — — — 
			 2002 (Revised) — — — — 266,012 — — 
			 2003 — — — — — 266,589 — 
			 2004 — — — — — — 269,465 
			 Population projection in 2006 — — — — — — 263,888 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The mid-2000 population estimates used in the 2002/03 settlement were based on the 1991 Census.
	2. Settlements for 2003–04 to 2006–07 have used population figures derived from the 2001 Census.
	3. Revised population estimates for 2001 and 2002 published by the ONS have been reflected in Amending Reports by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
	4. In the 2006–07 Settlement, population projections for 2006 will be used for the dominant data drivers of population as this allows the settlement to be more forward looking. The mid-2004 population estimates have also been used but within wider indicators used in the top-up formulae.
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics (ONS)

Children Act

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 7 December 2005, Official Report, column 1337W, what work her Department is undertaking in pursuance of the exercise of the power under section 12 of the Children Act 2004.

Beverley Hughes: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills issued on 8 December the following written ministerial statement.
	"I am announcing today a step change in the support the Government provides to front-line professionals in children's services by leading the implementation of an information sharing index.
	The information sharing index is a key element of the Every Child Matters programme to transform children's services by supporting more effective prevention and early intervention. Its goal is to improve outcomes and the experience of public services for all children, young people and families. Better information sharing is essential for early and effective intervention. The index will provide a tool to support better communication among practitioners across education, health, social care and youth offending. It will allow them to contact one another more easily and quickly, so they can share information about children who need services or about whose welfare they are concerned.
	Our decision about the way forward with the index has been informed by substantial input from, and consultation with, many front-line practitioners and managers across a wide range of children's services organisations. We have also drawn extensively on the experience of local index approaches run under existing legislation by Trailblazer local authorities. Our conclusions respond to what stakeholders have told us they need to be able to do their jobs more effectively and take account of views expressed on the design of the index.
	The index will be a simple basic online system containing:
	minimal identifying information for each child; name, address, date of birth, gender, and contact details for parents or carers. Each child will also have a unique identifying number. In almost all cases this will be a scrambled version of their Child Reference Number (which all children are allocated when a claim for child benefit is made);
	contact details for their educational setting and GP practice and for other practitioners or services working with them; and
	where a practitioner judges it appropriate and necessary, an indicator showing that they wished to be contacted by other practitioners because they have relevant information to share, are taking action, or have undertaken an assessment in relation to that child.
	No case information will be held on the index. Children, young people, or, where appropriate, their parents or carers will be able to ask to see their records and to challenge any inaccuracies, in accordance with data protection legislation.
	There will be a single central index with its data partitioned into 150 parts, one relating to each local authority in England. A central index will ensure that the system works for children who move areas or who access services from more than one area. Partitioning the data will ensure local authorities take the lead in maintaining the accuracy of the data for children living in their area.
	To avoid double-inputting of data and to ensure high standards of accuracy, information on the index will be drawn from and updated through existing systems. It will use proven technology.
	Technical access to the index will be either through the practitioner's existing case management systems, via a web link or, where an approved practitioner has no access to appropriate IT facilities, via another approved user who does have IT access.
	The Government are determined that the index will be as secure as possible, and will therefore ensure it complies with rigorous security standards. Access to it will be granted only to authorised users who have undergone appropriate checks, including those provided by the Criminal Records Bureau. Practitioner use of the index will be audited to ensure information is only accessed where it is necessary for practitioners to do so, and so guard against inappropriate access by authorised users.
	The Government are today making available a report on local authority Trailblazer experience. Copies will be placed in the Library of the House.
	The experience of the Trailblazers identifies significant benefits in the effectiveness of services. These include improved access to information to inform action, better identification of children not receiving universal services, and better multi-agency communication and information exchange. Scope for significant efficiency gains has also been demonstrated from time saved by practitioners on such tasks as identifying other services involved with a child, tracking down and contacting the individual practitioners involved, and making wasted referrals to services already involved with a child. These savings have been quantified as worth over £88 million per annum across England. We do not intend to reduce funding for children's services, but instead to enable savings realised to be reinvested in more and better services for children and more effective use of staff time. We anticipate that this will enhance staff satisfaction with their jobs.
	The Government will commit substantial resources to the index. One-off implementation costs will be an estimated £224 million over the next three years—this includes the costs of adapting systems that will supply the data to the index and adapting the day-to-day systems used by practitioners so they can access the index from their own systems. It also includes the cost of ensuring the original data supplied to the index is accurate, that there are robust systems in place to ensure security, and that staff are trained to use the index properly. Operating costs, thereafter, will be £41 million per year. Most of these costs will fund the additional staff needed to ensure the on-going security, accuracy and audit of the index. Both set-up and running costs will be funded by central Government, so that the costs to local authorities do not form a pressure on the council tax.
	Our plan is that a technically robust, secure and accurate index is available to support children's services across England by the end of 2008. To enable this to be achieved we plan to publish draft regulations under Section 12 of the Children Act 2004, which will be subject to the affirmative resolution procedure. An initial set of regulations in spring 2006 will provide the necessary vires to allow trials to take place for the creation of the initial records. We then plan to publish in autumn 2006 the main regulations to govern the operation of the index. We will consult publicly on draft regulations in the summer/autumn of 2006.
	Implementation will be led by a dedicated project team within DfES. The Project Team will continue to work closely with local authorities, users and other stakeholders to ensure that developments continue to be relevant and lead to more effective practice. Building on the current knowledge gained by the local authority Trailblazers, the project team will directly and actively seek the views of children, young people and families and will ensure those views are taken into account as we develop the index."
	I have written to the hon. Member about the information sharing index announcement, and also to other hon. Members and Peers who have expressed an interest in the index.

Exam Results

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average A-level attainment has been of entrants to undergraduate courses leading to qualified teacher status in each year since 1995.

Bill Rammell: The latest available information is given in the following table. Figures for 2004/05 will be available in January 2006.
	
		Average "A" level points for English domiciled entrants toEnglish HE institutions who have one or more "A" level qualifications on entry and who are aiming for thequalification of first degree with QTS
		
			 Academic year Average A level points(5) Number of entrants 
		
		
			 1995/96 12 6,135 
			 1996/97 12 5,710 
			 1997/98 13 5,735 
			 1998/99 15 5,350 
			 1999/2000 14 4,925 
			 2000/01 14 4,775 
			 2001/02 15 4,765 
			 2002/03 202 4,315 
			 2003/04 201 4,855 
		
	
	(5) Figures up to and including 2001/02 are based upon students who hold one or more A level (or AS equivalent) qualification on entry. The average score given is based upon the "A" level points for the student's best three "A" levels (or "AS" equivalents). For 2002/03 onwards, figures are based upon students who hold either GCE "A" level or VCE "A' level qualifications. The average score given is the average tariff points score based upon all "A" level qualifications (not just the best three).
	Note:
	Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5.
	Source:
	Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) student record.

Higher Education

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average pay of teachers in higher education was in 2004–05; and what percentage change in their pay there has been in the last three years.

Bill Rammell: The latest available figures are shown in the table. Figures for 2004/05 will be available in January 2006. Significant changes were made to the content, structure, coverage and definitions of the source data in 2003/04 which means that the figures for that year are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.
	
		Average salary(6)of full-time HE academic staff with teaching responsibilities, HE institutions in the UK
		
			  2000/01 (£) 2001/02 (£) 2002/03 (£) Percentage change 2000/01 to 2002/03 2003/04 
		
		
			 Professors 52,400 53,900 56,200 7.2 56,900 
			 Senior lecturers(7)and researchers 38,500 39,500 40,700 5.8 41 ,800 
			 Lecturers 29,400 30,300 31,600 7.5 32,500 
		
	
	(6) The HESA Staff Record changed markedly in structure, coverage and content in 2003/04. In addition, the definition of salary changed. For the years up to 2002/03, salary represented the monies received in respect of institutional duties actually being paid on the date of the HESA staff count (31 July) or for those who have left during the year, the salary on leaving, "including" any regular payments for additional duties, responsibility allowances or honoraria regardless of their source. In 2003/04, the salary represented the gross basic salary per annum, in pounds sterling as stated in the contract at the reference date of HESA's staff count or at the end date of the contract if earlier, "excluding" any regular payments for additional duties, responsibility allowances or honoraria, regardless of their source.
	(7) Including Principal Lecturers.
	Note:
	Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.
	Source:
	Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Common Agricultural Policy

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with EU counterparts on reform of the Common Agricultural Policy.

Jim Knight: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, has brokered a deal on major reform of the CAP sugar regime, discussed the Government's vision for fundamental CAP reform published earlier this month and chaired EU ministerial discussions on agricultural trade liberalisation in the context of the WTO negotiations.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action the Government are taking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Elliot Morley: The Government set out its policy on reducing emissions of the six greenhouse gases covered under the Kyoto protocol in its publication "climate change: The UK programme" (CM 4913) in 2000. We have introduced a set of flexible measures covering a range of different sectors—including energy supply, transport, agriculture, business and households.
	The Government are currently carrying out a review of the UK climate change programme which is looking at how existing policies are performing and the range of policies which might be put in place in the future to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Government are aiming to publish a revised UK climate change programme early next year.

Research and Development

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the Government have spent on the research and development of (a) energy conservation and (b) energy efficiency measures in each year since 1980; and what further sums are planned to be spent.

Elliot Morley: holding answer 12 December 2005
	The Government does not have information on spending on these programmes over the period 1980–2005, nor on the detailed split between energy efficiency and energy conservation. Over the period 2002–2005, the UK spent approximately £15 million per year on RD&D into demand-side energy-efficient technology; about £12 millon from UK public bodies and £2.8 million from the European Commission framework programmes.

Blindness

Richard Bacon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) parents understand the importance of eye examinations for children and (b) young people and adults have regular eye examinations.

Rosie Winterton: Free sight tests are available under the national health service to large parts of the population including children, those aged 16 to 18 in full-time education, people on benefits, those people at particular risk of developing eye disease, and people who are registered blind or partially sighted or who have a complex spectacle prescription. Sight tests allow the opportunity to review all aspects of eye health, including investigations for signs of disease. Those at risk of specific eye disease, for example diabetic retinopathy, may be asked to attend regular screening.
	Information about the extensive arrangements for providing help with NHS optical services and other health costs are publicised in leaflet HC11 "Are you entitled to help with health costs?" Posters are also available for display in optical practices and hospital out-patient departments.
	The number of NHS sight tests undertaken continues to increase. In 2004–05, there were 10.1 million NHS sight tests, an increase of 3 per cent. on 2003–04.
	We have also promoted a system of child health and development checks. The programme of home visiting and community development makes an important contribution to many areas of health education and fosters the early detection of problems, including those associated with eye sight, in young, pre-school children.

Epilepsy

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action her Department has taken to reduce sudden death by epilepsy since the publication of the Government's Action Plan on Epilepsy in 2003; what assessment she has made of the progress that has been made in reducing the levels of sudden death by epilepsy since the publication of the Action Plan; and what guidance she has given to practitioners to ensure patients with epilepsy are fully informed about the risks of sudden death from the condition.

Liam Byrne: Although the specific cause of sudden death by epilepsy (SUDEP) is unknown, the risks are considered greater for patients whose epilepsy is poorly controlled. Action to reduce SUDEP has therefore concentrated on improving epilepsy is poorly controlled. Action to reduce SUDEP has therefore concentrated on improving epilepsy services in general, raising awareness of SUDEP, and the introduction of new more effective drugs to control seizures.
	As part of the "Action Plan on Epilepsy'' the Modernisation Agency ran "Action on Neurology" in 2004–05 at eight pilot sites. These included:
	delivering high quality epilepsy service without the need for patients to travel far by the use of electronic and paper patient-held records.
	improving communications between primary, secondary and tertiary care by developing a network of healthcare professionals to deliver a coordinated service.
	developing general practitioner services for people with epilepsy and headaches and a primary care triage system to improve access and efficiency.
	The national service framework for long-term conditions was published in March 2005. This focuses on improving neurological services across the country for a range of conditions including epilepsy.
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published guidance on the clinical and cost effectiveness of new epilepsy drugs in adults (March 2004) and children (April 2004).
	We have commissioned NICE to produce clinical guidelines for the diagnosis, management and treatment of epilepsy. This guidance, published in October 2004, specifically covers the importance of informing patients and their families of the risks of sudden death in epilepsy. In addition, we have made a grant of almost £290,000 to the National Society for Epilepsy to improve support and information for people with epilepsy and their families.

HIV/AIDS

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of the merits of different means of providing anti-retroviral drugs to HIV/AIDS sufferers.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 14 December 2005
	Primary care trusts are responsible for providing HIV prevention, treatment and care services which meet the needs of their local populations. To support them in this role, the Department has published best practice guidance, "Effective Commissioning of Sexual Health and HIV Services" (2003). This includes advice on commissioning treatment services for people with HIV and AIDS.

Mental Health

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many adolescent mental health beds there are in Milton Keynes.

Rosie Winterton: The Department does not hold the information in the format requested.
	Departmental figures for 2004–05 show that there are no beds classed as "mental illness: children: short stay" or "mental illness: children: long stay" at either Milton Keynes general hospital or the Milton Keynes primary care trust. These categories include adolescents.

Palliative Care

Patrick Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when the Hospice at Home service will be brought into line with the Payment by Results scheme for palliative care; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the likely impact of Payment by Results on statutory funding for services for palliative care commissioned from voluntary providers; and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Work to develop healthcare resource groups for specialist palliative care, which will inform the implementation of Payment by Results, is ongoing. Part of this work will include consideration of the funding implications of introducing Payment by Results in specialist palliative care.
	Healthcare resource groups are not being developed for Hospice at Home services. However, consideration is being given to the development of healthcare resource groups for community care services other than in palliative care and once this work, together with consideration of the results of the "Your Health, Your Care, Your Say" consultation, is complete, we will be able to give this issue further consideration.

Palliative Care

Patrick Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what public funding for palliative care was allocated for 2005–06; and what the total annual funding will be when the Government have met the Labour manifesto commitment to double spending on palliative care;
	(2)  if she will ensure that additional funding for palliative care promised in the Labour manifesto covers (a) full cost recovery and (b) Payment by Results.

Liam Byrne: Primary care trusts are responsible within the national health service for commissioning and funding services for their resident populations, including palliative care. This would include meeting any costs associated with full cost recovery, recommended in the HM Treasury's "Cross Cutting Review on the Role of the Voluntary Sector in Service Delivery" or the implementation of Payment by Results. The Department does not routinely collect data on the amount of funding allocated locally for palliative care services, although, as pledged in the NHS Cancer Plan 2000, an additional £50 million per annum was allocated to primary care trusts in 2005–06 for specialist palliative care.
	The details of delivering our manifesto commitment are being discussed with a range of key stakeholders. Alongside this, the views of the public, service users and staff on end of life care was one of the issues covered in the "Your Health, Your Care, Your Say" consultation. We will take account of what people have said in this consultation in the way we discharge our manifesto commitment.

Cannabis

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what change there has been in the number of (a) arrests and (b) prosecutions for (i) dealing and (ii) possession since the reclassification of cannabis as a class C drug.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 5 December 2005
	The available information is included in the "Drug Offenders in England and Wales" annual publications.
	
		Table 1: Persons dealt with for cannabis offences inEngland and Wales—2003
		
			  Dealing offences Possession offences 
		
		
			 Cautions 590 38,130 
			 Convictions 2,970 39,360 
		
	
	
		Table 2: Persons dealt with for cannabis offences inEngland and Wales, 2004(9)
		
			  Dealing offences Possession offences 
		
		
			 Formal warnings(10) n/a 27,520 
			 Cautions 570 22,530 
			 Convictions 2,500 22,960 
		
	
	(9) Due to the re-classification of cannabis from class B to class C and the introduction of police formal warnings, data for 2004 should not be directly compared to those of previous years.
	(10) Formal warnings are only given for cannabis possession offences. Data relates to April–December 2004.

Departmental Guidance (Evidence/Documentary Access)

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is with regard to (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department giving evidence to the (i) Scottish Parliament, (ii) National Assembly for Wales and (iii) Northern Ireland Assembly committees; and to what categories of document he gives (A) full access, (B) restricted access and (C) no access to the (1) Scottish Parliament, (2) National Assembly for Wales, (3) Northern Ireland Assembly and (4) House of Commons select committees.

Charles Clarke: Requests for the attendance of Ministers or officials to give evidence to the devolved legislatures and for the provision of information to the assemblies, will be considered on a case-by-case basis. This consideration will reflect: the principles set out in the Cabinet Office guidance "Departmental Evidence and Responses to Select Committees" (July 2005); the policy outlined in the Department for Constitutional Affairs Devolution guidance note No. 12 "Attendance of UK Ministers and Officials at Committees of the devolved legislatures"; and the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act. The principles underlying the provision of information to House of Commons Select Committees are set out in the "Departmental Evidence and Response to Select Committees", particularly section 4B and 4C.

Departmental Underspending

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's underspend was in 2004–05 (a) in cash terms and (b) as a percentage of departmental budget.

Charles Clarke: The following table provides the information requested. Please note that (a) provisional outturn has been used as final accounts have not been completed and (b) near cash excludes non cash costs but makes no adjustment for timing differences.
	
		2004–05 DEL £000
		
			  Resource Capital 
		
		
			 Budget as per spring supplementary 2004–05 12,366,249 1,195,779 
			 Provisional outturn as published in Cm6639 "Public expenditure 2004–05 Provisional Outturn" 12,029,460 991,944 
			 Underspend 336,789 203,835 
			 Of which: Near cash 361,313 203,835 
			 Underspend as percentage of budget 2.72% 17.05%

Sick Leave

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of his Department's employees who are within one year of the official retirement age are on extended sick leave.

Charles Clarke: Staff who are 59 and above on extended sick leave are detailed in the table.
	
		
			  Staff on extended sick leave 
		
		
			 Home Office 22 
			 Prison Service 82 
			 FSS 0 
			 UKPS 4 
		
	
	Note:
	1. Adelphi sickness figures commencing 1 January to 8 December 2005.
	2. For HMPS and HO greater then or equal to two calendar months.
	3. For UKPS greater then or equal to 26 days.
	4. FSS ceased to be HO Agency on 5 December 2005. Its included because status change postdates question. No staff in category reported.

Social Enterprises (Milton Keynes)

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much Government funding social enterprises in Milton Keynes have received in the last three financial years.

Alun Michael: I have been asked to reply.
	An estimate of Government funding to social enterprises delivered via the South East of England Development Agency over the last three years in Milton Keynes is £112,000. On a broader level, such is the diverse nature of social enterprises that significantly more funds have been made available. A further £40,000 has been put into the Wolverton social enterprise project and Growth Areas Funding has been made available to social enterprises in Milton Keynes; for example £375,000 for refurbishment of Acorn House part of the Milton Keynes Community Foundation and £300,000 towards the Milton Keynes Economic and Learning Partnership's "Vision Building". Milton Keynes will receive a professionally trained adviser for social enterprises supplied via money from the Home Office. Other funding streams going into Milton Keynes may also be considered to benefit social enterprises either directly or indirectly.

Speed Cameras

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 29 November 2005, Official Report, column 328W, on speed cameras, how many (a) convictions and (b) fixed penalty notices there were for speeding offences in each year from 1994 to 2004.

Paul Goggins: Available information on court convictions and fixed penalty notices issued for the offence of speeding detected by camera from 1997 to 2003 (latest available) is given in the table. 2004 data will not be available until March 2006.
	
		Convictions and fixed penalty data for speeding offences detected by cameras(14), England and Wales, 1997 to 2003 Number
		
			  Type of action 
			  Court proceedings (Findings of guilt(15)) Fixed penalty (Number of tickets(16)) 
		
		
			 1997 20,800 288,600 
			 1998 25,700 338,800 
			 1999 32,600 423,000 
			 2000 32,000 599,200(17) 
			 2001 40,800 877,500 
			 2002 46,700 1,135,400 
			 2003 61,900 1,657,000 
		
	
	(14) Offences under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and The Motor Vehicles (Speed Limits on Motorways) Regulations 1973.
	(15) Includes cases where fixed penalty notices were originally issued but not paid and subsequently referred to court.
	(16) Only covers tickets paid where there is no further action.
	(17) Following publication of 2000 data, Northamptonshire police force revised their 2000 figures for the number of fixed penalty notices issued for speeding offences from 70,300 to 34,800 (a decrease of 35,500). In consequence, national data has been revised.

Parliamentary Process (Initiatives)

Mark Harper: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission if he will make a statement on the findings of user research commissioned by the Commission to inform future initiatives on involving citizens in the political process and informing them of the work of Parliament.

Nick Harvey: In December 2004 the House of Commons Commission asked the Group on Information for the Public to commission research into users' experiences of the parliamentary website. The findings of the qualitative research identified scope for improvement in several respects, and have closely informed the proposals for a radical redesign of the site.
	In March 2005 the House of Commons Commission confirmed that it wished to fund the production and distribution of a guide on voting to be sent to all new voters on or around their eighteenth birthday. Officials commissioned qualitative research to inform the selection of material to appear in the guide. Research will be undertaken to ensure the effectiveness of the draft guide before its production and further research will be undertaken once the guide has been issued to assess its impact.
	Further user research is currently under way to measure the potential interest in a new visitor centre, and to identify the expectations and requirements of those who might visit. The Parliamentary Education Unit has also recently commissioned research into users' experiences of its work.
	The House partly funds some projects run by the Hansard Society. The "Connecting Communities" project completed in early 2005 aimed to build stronger links between Parliament and members of the public through a series of structured visits to Parliament supported by an educational pack. The findings of this project informed the planning of a number of House services, and were reflected in the Modernisation Committee's report on Connecting Parliament with the Public. The project also led to a booklet entitled "Your Parliament", a valuable addition to the House's publicly-available information sources. A second project, "Enhancing Engagement", built on this programme and developed practical proposals to bring Parliament closer to the public, especially those least engaged in the political process. Further research by the Hansard Society to inform future developments has recently been commissioned.

HIV/AIDS

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what work his Department has undertaken to increase the capacity of countries with an antenatal prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS of one per cent. or more to take full advantage of the flexibilities in the trade related aspects of intellectual property agreement; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what work the informal advisory group on access to medicine has undertaken to increase the capacity of countries with an antenatal prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS of one per cent. or more to take full advantage of the flexibilities in the trade related aspects of intellectual property agreement; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: DFID's work on trade related intellectual property rights (TRIPS) to ensure increased access for countries with high prevalence rates of HIV/AIDS, is one pillar of a broader UK strategy to increase access to essential medicines to developing countries that includes direct assistance to developing countries; work with the private sector; and support of research and development efforts. DFID works with the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI), the Patent Office and other Departments, as appropriate, through the Cross Whitehall Working Group on access to medicines.
	Developing countries and non-governmental organisations have expressed concerns that the World Trade Organisation TRIPS agreement, which provides wider international patent protection, would affect negatively the capacity of developing countries to procure cheap generic medicines.
	DFID and other Whitehall departments have been working closely with the EU and the World Trade Organisation (WTO) member states to ensure that developing countries are given the necessary flexibilities in the WTO TRIPS agreement to safeguard their pressing public health needs. This has now been achieved with the recent agreement in the WTO to amend TRIPS to allow countries without manufacturing capacity to issue compulsory licenses to import generic copies of patented medicines, and the decision by the European Union to implement legislation transposing this agreement into European law.
	We have been funding several programmes in developing countries, specifically around, or incorporating activities, related to TRIPS flexibilities. This is one of the main aims of the UK Government's global strategy to improve access to essential medicines, as outlined in the 2004 paper: "Increasing Access to Essential Medicines in the Developing World: Government Policy and Plan".
	We have been providing support to the World Health Organisation's Commission on Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation and Public Health (CIPIH), with the secondment of an official to lead the secretariat of the Commission (three-year project: £240,000). The CIPIH has been appointed to produce an analysis of intellectual property rights, innovation, and public health, including analysis of TRIPS flexibilities. It will report in the first half of 2006.
	We have been funding legal research and assistance on how to implement the flexibilities, with for instance the publication of the UNCTAD-International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development's resource book on TRIPS and development (part of a three-year £1.2 million project), this year.
	DFID also supports country-focused work on the issue. In Ghana, we support an access to medicines initiative (ATMI) through the Ghana National drugs programme that includes work on TRIPS flexibilities. DFID commissioned a series of studies that looked at access to medicines in under-served markets, including country case studies in Kenya and Malawi. A study on China and India investigates the effects of changing intellectual property legislation on the pharmaceutical industry in these countries, and in a recent update, the consequences of the alignment with TRIPS obligations in 2005.

HIV/AIDS

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what role his Department plays in the UN AIDS programme.

Gareth Thomas: DFID is a strong supporter of the UN's HIV and AIDS programme working with the Joint United Nations Programme for HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). The UNAIDS' mandate is
	"to be the advocate for global action on the HIV and AIDS epidemic".
	UNAIDS is a co-sponsored programme comprising a Secretariat, the World Bank, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),the UN Office for Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the World Food Programme (WFP).
	The UK, led by DFID, is an active constituent member, with San Marino, Italy and Ireland, of the UNAIDS' Programme Co-ordinating Board (PCB). We currently occupy the board seat for our constituency, and have played a key role in important decisions taken at the PCB, including the adoption in June 2005 of the new policy paper "Intensifying HIV Prevention". DFID also has institutional partnerships, which includes core funding with all co-sponsors including the UNAIDS Secretariat, (except the UNODC).
	Core funding to the UNAIDS Secretariat in this financial year is £16 million, to support the unified work plan involving all co-sponsors.

Arms Movement Certificates

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which body is responsible for the issuing of arms movement certificates; how many have been issued; and what criteria are applied in deciding whether such a certificate should be issued.

Shaun Woodward: The Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD) issue "arms movement certificates", as described in the decommissioning scheme within the meaning of section 1 of the Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning Act of 1997, in connection with the decommissioning process.
	Until such time as the IICD are satisfied that their mandate has been fulfilled and, as their report of 26 September 2005 stated, the arms of loyalist paramilitary groups, as well as other paramilitary organisations, remain to be addressed, it would not be appropriate for them to release the numbers of arms movement certificates or any date involved during the decommissioning process. It would not therefore be appropriate to comment at this time.

Community Relations Council

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much the Northern Ireland Community Relations Council awarded in (a) core funding and (b) project funding to (i) the Irish School of Ecumenics, (ii) the Northern Ireland Inter Faith Forum, (iii) Roman Catholic groups and (iv) mainstream evangelical organisations in each of the last 15 years.

Angela Smith: The information requested for 1990–91 to 1997–98 is not available.
	
		
			 £ 
			  Irish school of ecumenics NI interfaith forum Catholic groups Evangelical organisations 
			  (a) (b) (a) (b) (a) (b) (a) (b) 
		
		
			 2005–06 45,000 nil nil nil nil nil 44,000 54,843 
			 2004–05 45,000 6,850 nil nil nil nil 44,000 28,721 
			 2003–04 45,000 nil nil 3,450 nil 20,385 50,750 33,665 
			 2002–03 45,000 2,201 nil 123,590 nil nil 43,2 11 95,9860 
			 2001–02 45,000 3,790 nil nil nil nil 37,632 12,475 
			 2000–01 nil 3,800 nil nil nil nil 37,627 36,275 
			 1999–2000 nil 1,700 nil 34,600 nil 2,200 35,244 98,683 
			 1998–99 nil 69,000 nil 15,000 nil 35,714 35,890 141,216

Community Relations Council

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much the Community Relations Council has awarded to Evangelical Contribution on Northern Ireland in (a) core funding and (b) project funding in each of the last 15 years.

Angela Smith: The information requested for the years 1990–91 to 1997–98 is not available.
	
		
			   £ 
			  Core Project 
		
		
			 2005–06 44,000 11,000 
			 2004–05 44,000 nil 
			 2003–04 50,750 6,750 
			 2002–03 43,211 302,875 
			 2001–02 37,632 3,575 
			 2000–01 37,627 17,800 
			 1999–2000 35,244 36,000 
			 1998–99 35,890 44,000

Disability

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the initial activity undertaken by his Department in response to those recommendations in the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit report "Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People" where lead responsibility was assigned to all Government Departments.

Angela Smith: The Prime Minister's Strategy Unit report "Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People" only applies to Government Departments in England, and to Wales and Scotland where the recommendation relates to reserved rather than devolved matters. However, in reporting progress against priorities, it will include progress in Northern Ireland in line with the objectives set in the "Improving the Life Chances" report.
	While "Improving the Life Chances" is a GB strategy, work is being progressed in Northern Ireland by the Promoting Social Inclusion Inderdepartmental Working Group on Disability. In November 2004, the then Minister with responsibility for disability issues in Northern Ireland, established the Group. It is chaired by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) and is made up of representatives from voluntary, community and statutory organisations alongside trade unions, the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland and all Northern Ireland Departments. The Minister asked the Group to produce recommendations on what Government can do to promote greater inclusion of people with disabilities in the economic and social life of Northern Ireland and is due to report during 2006.
	This work in Northern Ireland will take account of "Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People". OFMDFM officials are liaising with officials in the recently formed Office for Disability Issues to ensure co-ordination of actions.

Free School Meals

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children (a) are entitled to and (b) receive free school meals in each education board in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: At October 2004, the number of schoolchildren entitled to, and in receipt of, free school meals in each Education and Library Board area was as follows:
	
		Number
		
			  Children entitled to free school meals Children in receipt of free school meals 
		
		
			 Belfast 15,280 12,533 
			 Western 15,219 8,131 
			 North Eastern 10,055 6,640 
			 South Eastern 8,823 11,639 
			 Southern 13,767 13,786 
			 Northern Ireland total63,144 52,729 
		
	
	Note:
	1. Figures relate to year one to year seven pupils in primary schools and pupils at post-primary schools. Figures for pupils at special schools entitled to free school meals are not collected.
	The Department continues, through the Education and Library Boards, to take steps to encourage eligible pupils to take up their entitlement.

Playing Fields

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many schools in Northern Ireland have sold playing fields in each of the last 15 years, broken down by constituency.

Angela Smith: Only two playing fields have been sold in the last 15 years, both belonged to the Belfast Education and Library Board:
	1991—Laburnum Playing Fields-East Belfast constituency and;
	1995—The site of a former post-primary school, Forthbridge High School-North Belfast constituency.

Schools (Abuse Claims)

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many complaints of (a) physical abuse and (b) sexual abuse against (i) teachers and (ii) priests were received by schools in the maintained sector in each year for which figures are available.

Angela Smith: The Department of Education does not collect this information from schools. However schools are required to keep a Record of Child Abuse Complaints and this must be made available to the Education and Training Inspectorate during an inspection.
	Where a complaint is made about a member of staff and is pursued either as a formal referral to the investigating agencies or under the school's disciplinary procedures, a short summary must be entered by the Principal on a Record of Child Abuse Complaints. The summary must include:
	The date and brief details of the nature of the complaints;
	By whom and against whom the complaint is made;
	If the complaint was formally referred, to whom it was referred and the date of referral; and
	If the complaint was dealt with under the school's disciplinary procedure.
	The school's Record of Child Abuse Complaints must be made available to the Board of Governors at least annually.

Departmental Costs

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the (a) salary bill was and (b) administrative costs were for his Department in (i) Scotland and (ii) London in 2004–05.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office does not separately identify the administration costs arising in Scotland and London. However, the total administration costs of the Scotland Office in 2004–05 were £4,028,412, of which £2,201,361 related to salary costs.

Crown Prosecution Service

David Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General how many staff employed by the Crown Prosecution Service were suspended from duty in (a) Southend, (b) Essex, (c) Hertfordshire and (d) the Metropolitan police area of London, broken down by grade in each of the last 15 years for which figures are available; and what the reasons were in each case in which proceedings are complete.

Mike O'Brien: The Crown Prosecution Service has figures of staff suspensions available from June 2000 to date. Prior to this date, details of suspensions were not recorded centrally. The following numbers of staff were suspended from duty during this period.
	
		
			 Number 
		
		
			 (a) Southend — 0 
			 (b) Essex Grade 7 equivalent 1 
			 (c) Hertfordshire HEO equivalent 1 
			 (d) Metropolitan Police C2 Prosecutor level 2 
			 area of London Legal Trainee 1 
			  EO equivalent 1 
			  AO equivalents 4 
			  AA equivalents 2 
		
	
	The key issue in all suspension decisions is whether the continued presence of the member of staff concerned would:
	be contrary to the public or departmental interest;
	prejudice any investigation, for example, where there is a possibility of someone destroying evidence;
	have an adverse effect on the work of the office, for example, where harassment of colleagues is alleged and may intensify once an investigation is started.
	In each of the 12 cases, the decision to suspend would have been based on one or more of the above criteria.

Crown Prosecution Service

David Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General what the rates of pay are of (a) lawyers and (b) other staff employed by the Crown Prosecution Service, broken down by grade in (i) Southend, (ii) Essex, (iii) the Metropolitan Police area of London and (iv) England and Wales.

Mike O'Brien: The rates of pay of lawyers is listed, and other staff employed by the Crown Prosecution Service, broken down by grade in (i) Southend, (ii) Essex, (ii) the Metropolitan Police area of London and (iv) England and Wales.
	Question (a) payscales for lawyers in: (i) Southend, (ii) Essex, (iii) the Metropolitan Police area of London are identical and are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 Payband Salary range from: 
		
		
			 C1 26,954 to 32,159 
			 C2 31,880 to 53,667 
			 D 45,389 to 59,033 
			 E 56,814 to 65,565 
		
	
	Question (a) payscales lawyers employed (iv) England and Wales are as follows:
	
		England and Wales (National) £
		
			 Payband Salary range from: 
		
		
			 C1 25,648 to 30,819 
			 C2 30,318 to 47,685 
			 D 41,970 to 53,601 
			 E 53,332 to 63,104 
		
	
	
		London (also including Bedfordshire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley, South East) £
		
			 Payband Salary range from: 
		
		
			 C1 26,954 to 32,159 
			 C2 31,880 to 53,667 
			 D 45,389 to 59,033 
			 E 56,814 to 65,565 
		
	
	Question (b) Payscales for other staff employed by the Crown prosecution service in: (i) Southend, (ii) Essex, (iii) Metropolitan Police area of London are identical and are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 Payband Salary range from: 
		
		
			 A1 12,947 to 15,653 
			 A2 15,904 to 18,727 
			 B1 19,441 to 25,262 
			 B2 25,134 to 29,734 
			 B3 31,190 to 37,434 
			 D 43,328 to 59,033 
			 E 56,814 to 65,565 
		
	
	Question (b) payscales for other staff employed by the Crown prosecution service (iv) England and Wales are as follows:
	
		England and Wales (National) £
		
			 Payband Salary range from: 
		
		
			 A1 12,192 to 14,553 
			 A2 14,654 to 17,412 
			 B1 18,425 to 23,822 
			 B2 24,478 to 28,278 
			 B3 29,608 to 35,837 
			 D 40,744 to 53,601 
			 E 53,332 to 63,104 
		
	
	
		London also including (Bedfordshire, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley, South East) £
		
			 Payband Salary range from: 
		
		
			 A1 12,947 to 15,653 
			 A2 15,904 to 18,727 
			 B1 19,441 to 25,262 
			 B2 25,134 to 29,734 
			 B3 31,190 to 37,434 
			 D 43,328 to 59,033 
			 E 56,814 to 65,565

Business Start-ups

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many business start-ups took place in (a) Hartlepool, (b) the Tees Valley sub-region and (c) the North East region in the last 12 months.

Alun Michael: In 2004 (the latest year for which figures are available) there were 120 new VAT registrations in Hartlepool, 910 in Tees Valley and 4290 in North East England. Full statistical information on VAT registrations, broken down to local authority area, is available from the Small Business Service website at www.sbs.gov.uk.

Carbon Sequestration

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will make a statement on his plans to promote the use of carbon sequestration technology.

Malcolm Wicks: "The Carbon Abatement Technologies Strategy for Fossil Fuel Use" which I announced on 14 June this year sets out the Government's policy and views for the future support for carbon sequestration technologies. Copies of the strategy are available in the House of Commons Library and at:
	http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/coal/cfft/cct/pub/catreportlinked.pdf.
	In addition to the strategy I also announced £25 million for a demonstration of Carbon Abatement Technologies, which could include carbon sequestration. In his pre-budget statement this month, the Chancellor announced a further £10 million for this demonstration scheme, bringing the total for Government funding to £35 million.

Coal Mining

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much (a) deep mined and (b) opencast coal was produced in the UK in (i) the most recent 12 months for which figures are available and (ii) 1995; and what forecast he has made of production in 2015.

Malcolm Wicks: Over the 12-month period to September 2005 UK deep mined coal production was 9.6 million tonnes and UK surface mined coal production was 11.3 million tonnes.
	In 1995, UK deep mined coal production was 35.2 million tonnes and UK surface mined coal production was 16.4 million tonnes.
	This Department does not produce regular forecasts for UK coal production. A study commissioned by DTI in 2004 as part of its work on the large combustion plant directive entitled "UK Coal Production Outlook: 2004–16". The report projected that the UK's total coal production could be sustained within a band of 21–29 million tonnes in 2010 and 15–21 million tonnes in 2016.
	The outturn figures for the 12 months to September 2005 suggest that the lower figures in these projections may be between 2 and 3 million tonnes too high.

Disability

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  whether a Minister in his Department is planned to be nominated to take responsibility for liaison with the office for disability issues; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the initial activity undertaken by his Department in response to those recommendations in the Prime Minister's strategy unit report, improving the life chances of disabled people, where lead responsibility was assigned to all Government Departments.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I am the DTFs representative on the cross-departmental ministerial group charged with taking forward the recommendations of the strategy unit report "improving the life chances of disabled people", and accordingly have responsibility for liaison with the office for disability issues.
	DTI is also represented on the cross-departmental senior officials' group, which contributes to the work on establishment of the office for disability issues and oversees the other workstreams that are taking forward the improving life chances agenda.
	The DTI supports the recommendations in the strategy unit report and the aims of the office for disability issues; and contributes to implementing recommendations within its area of responsibility. The establishment of the office for disability issues is an important step towards achieving equality for disabled people and its work will complement that taken forward by proposed Commission for Equality and Human Rights, for which DTI has the lead.

New Businesses

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the rate of new business development per 10,000 population (a) was in 2004–05 and (b) is in 2005–06 in (i) England, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) Stoke-on-Trent.

Alun Michael: According to Barclays Bank's latest survey of business creation, which includes non-VAT registered firms, there were 425,100 business start-ups in England in 2004, representing 105 new businesses per 10,000 resident adults 1 . A further 277,500 businesses started up in England in the first nine months of 2005.
	Barclays data show that there were 36,100 business start-ups in the West Midlands Government Office Region in 2004, representing 85 new businesses per 10,000 resident adults 1 . A further 24,300 businesses started up in the first nine months of 2005. Barclays data show there were 1,100 business start-ups in Stoke-on-Trent unitary authority in 2004, representing 57 new businesses per 10,000 resident adults 1 . A further 700 businesses started up in the first nine months of 2005.
	DTI figures based solely on VAT registrations for England, West Midlands Government Office Region and Stoke-on-Trent unitary authority are shown in the following table for 2004. Data for 2005 will be available in Autumn 2006.
	1 Based on mid-year 2004 population estimates published by the Office for National Statistics.
	
		VAT registrations, number and rate
		
			  VAT registrations 2004 VAT registrations per 10,000 resident adults(20), 2004 
		
		
			 England 158,535 39 
			 West Midlands 14,855 35 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 535 28 
		
	
	(20) Based on mid-year 2004 population estimates published by the Office for National Statistics.
	Source:
	Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 1994–2004, Small Business Service, available at http://www.sbs.gov.uk/vats
	VAT registrations do not capture all start-up activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if they fall below the compulsory VAT threshold. Only 1.8 million out of 4.3 million enterprises were registered for VAT at the start of 2004.

Nuclear Power

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions have taken place in the Joint Research/Atomic Questions Working Party of the EU in respect of the draft council decision concerning the approval of the accession of the European Atomic Energy Community to a framework agreement for International Collaboration on research and development of generation IV nuclear energy systems (GIF); what decisions have been taken; and what financial commitment has been made by the United Kingdom in support of the GIF.

Malcolm Wicks: In 2005 EURATOM's accession to GIF has been discussed in the Joint Research/Atomic Questions Working party on the following dates:
	25 May 2005—under the Luxembourg presidency
	13 June 2005— under the Luxembourg presidency
	26 September2005—under the UK presidency
	At the September 2005meeting the presidency stated that as there was a clear qualified majority in favour of EURATOM's accession to the GIF it would be sent as an "I" point to Coreper and an "A" point to a future Council (i.e. to be agreed without discussion).
	Council Secretariat has subsequently sent the finalised version of the draft Council Decision to all delegations to give them the opportunity to register any opposition.
	DTI has allocated £10 million, £5 million in 2006–07 and £5 million in 2007–08, to support UK involvement in international research on advanced nuclear energy systems. Much of this is expected to fund UK research on Generation IV systems for
	potential international deployment from around 2030; the exact amount will depend on the mix of research proposals that are submitted. The initiative will support UK skills needed to keep open the nuclear energy option and our capability to keep abreast of international developments and inform UK policy development.

Wheel Clamping

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the conduct of private wheel clamping firms in England and Wales.

Paul Goggins: I have been asked to reply.
	Since the legal requirement date of 3 May 2005 for vehicle immobiliser (wheel-clampers) operatives to obtain an SIA licence, the Home Office has not commissioned any research on the conduct of private wheel clamping firms in England and Wales.
	In July 2002, the Home Office carried out a limited consultation exercise on the specific issue of the practice of towing away vehicles from private land and charging a release fee. The consultation asked three main questions: the scale of any problems currently posed by the towing away of vehicles; the extent to which the practice might grow as an alternative to wheel-clamping when SIA regulation came into force; and how the problem should be addressed.
	The responses confirmed anecdotal evidence that there were problems arising out of the practice of towing away, giving rise to widespread public complaint. It was predicted that these problems would increase as operators sought to evade the licensing requirements attached to vehicle immobilising. It was recommended that the problem should be dealt with by extending the licensing remit of the SIA to include this form of activity. This was completed earlier this year.

Average Wage

Joan Walley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average wage in (a) England, (b) the West Midlands and (c) Stoke-on-Trent was in the latest year for which figures are available.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 15 December 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question what the average wage in (a) England (b) the West Midlands and (c) Stoke on Trent was in the last year for which figures are available. (37740)
	Currently average earnings are estimated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), and are provided for full time employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence. This is the standard definition used for ASHE. The ASHE does not collect data on the self employed and people who do unpaid work.
	The attached table shows the Average Gross Weekly Earnings for full time employees by local authority by place of work for England, West Midlands and Stoke on Trent for 2005. These statistics are also available on the National Statistics website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=13101.
	The ASHE, carried out in April of each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. It is a one per cent sample of all employees who are members of pay-as-you-earn (PAYE) schemes.
	
		Gross weekly pay for full-time employee jobs(21) by place of work £
		
			  Full-time employees—2005 
			  Median Mean 
		
		
			 England 436 526 
			 West Midlands 403 476 
			 Stoke on Trent UA 346 417 
		
	
	(21) Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence.
	Source:
	Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics.

Correspondence/Parliamentary Questions

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) letters from hon. Members, (b) letters from members of the public and (c) parliamentary questions from (i) hon. Members and (ii) Lords were dealt with by his Department in each year since 1995; in respect of what percentage his Department took (A) more than one month and (B) more than three months to provide a substantive answer; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The Cabinet Office publishes a report to Parliament each year on the performance of departments in replying to correspondence from Members of both Houses of Parliament. The report for 2004 was published on 6 April 2005, Official Report, columns 137–140WS. The reports for earlier years are available in the Library of the House.
	Since 1999, the Treasury has dealt with the following number of letters from members of the public (figures for earlier years are not available):
	
		
			  Letters Answered within 15-day target 
		
		
			 1999 8,650 37 
			 2000 7,400 36 
			 2001 9,600 74 
			 2002 7,850 79 
			 2003 6,120 70 
			 2004 5,900 80 
		
	
	The breakdown requested of the length of time taken to reply to correspondence is not available.
	The number of written parliamentary questions answered by Treasury Ministers in both Houses since the 1995–96 session is given in the following table:
	
		
			 Session House of Commons House of Lords 
		
		
			 1995–96 1,851 Not available 
			 1996–97 657 29 
			 1997–98 4,554 282 
			 1998–99 2,097 156 
			 1999–00 2,857 274 
			 2000–01 5,888 293 
			 2001–02 3,693 239 
			 2002–03 3,099 248 
			 2003–04 1,377 106 
			 2004–05 (As at 15 December 2005)2,307 116 
		
	
	Information relating to the number of questions which took longer than one month and three months to answer is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, Treasury Ministers attach importance to answering parliamentary questions promptly wherever possible. In the 2004–05 session, 83 per cent. of House of Commons questions were answered substantively by the accepted deadlines, as were 96 per cent. of House of Lords questions.

Death Statistics

Angela Browning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of people died (a) in hospital, (b) in a hospice, (c) at home and (d) in residential or nursing care in each of the last five years.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 15 December 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what percentage of people died (a) in hospital, (b) in a hospice, (c) at home and (d) in residential or nursing care in each of the last five years. (37973)
	The most recent year for which information on deaths is available is 2004. Figures are given in the table below for all deaths from 2000 to 2004.
	
		Percentage of all deaths by place of death in England and Wales, 2000 to 2004(22)
		
			  Place of death 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 (a) Hospital(23) 54 55 56 57 57 
			 (b) Hospice(24) 4 4 4 4 5 
			 (c) Own home 19 19 18 18 18 
			 (d) Residential or nursing Home(25) 18 18 17 17 16 
			  Other places 5 4 4 4 4 
			  All places 100 100 100 100 100 
		
	
	(22) Figures are for deaths occurring in each calendar year.
	(23) NHS and non-NHS general hospitals.
	(24) NHS and non-NHS hospices.
	(25) NHS nursing home, Non-NHS nursing home, private residential home and local authority residential home.

Gifts

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the gifts received by (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department in each of the last two years for which information is available; what the approximate value of each was; and how many were (i) accepted and (ii) returned.

John Healey: Guidance for Ministers on the acceptance of gifts is set out in the ministerial code. An annual list of gifts received by Ministers valued at more than £140 is published. The annual list provides details of the gift received, its value, the donor and whether the gift was retained by the department, purchased by the Minister or marked for disposal. Information for June 2001-March 2005 is in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2005–06 will be published as soon as it is available after the end of the financial year.
	For officials, the Treasury's gifts' policy states that officials should refuse or return gifts worth more than £25, if such a course of action does not harm good working relations. Gifts valued at over £25 should be handed over to the department for disposal or the recipient can purchase them.

Local Authority Grants

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the Government's total grants to local authorities as a percentage of gross domestic product in each financial year since 1978–79.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 15 December 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question requesting an estimate of the Government's total grants to local authorities as a percentage of gross domestic product in each financial year since 1978–79. (37054)
	I have provided some estimates from the National Accounts for non-financial transfers between central government and local government. The economic sectors of the National Accounts have a broad definition, for example central government is broader than the Government, and local government includes entities such as schools, police authorities etc as well as local councils. The National Accounts are compiled on an accruals basis and include imputed amounts, so should not be confused with cash payments.
	The transactions can be sub-divided into current transfers and capital transfers.
	Current Transfers
	These include:
	Revenue Support Grant;
	redistribution of national non-domestic rates which is classified as a central government tax;
	specific grants such as those for mandatory student awards and rent allowances; and
	an imputed payment in respect of the cost of pension increase payments.
	Capital Transfers
	These mainly consist of grants paid by central government to local government to finance capital expenditure. They also include payments from development corporations and some one-off payments, such as commutation grants and amounts for repayment of over-hanging debt following Large Scale Voluntary Transfers of housing. As with the current transfers, the National Accounts include some imputed payments
	The table below shows the separate current and capital transfer series and the total. It also shows total GDP and the total transfers as a percentage of GDP. All these data are at market prices and are not seasonally adjusted.
	In 1978/79 total transfers from central government to local government were equivalent to 6.1 per cent. of GDP. In 2004/05 this percentage was 8.7 per cent.
	
		Total transfers from central Government to local government, as a percentage of GDP, from 1978–79 to 2004–05 Market price, not seasonally adjusted (£ million)
		
			 Financial year Current transfers Capital transfers Total Gross domestic product Total as a percentage of GDP 
		
		
			 1978–79 10,347 227 10,574 172,637 6.1 
			 1979–80 11,822 267 12,089 207,608 5.8 
			 1980–81 14,602 270 14,872 236,503 6.3 
			 1981–82 15,748 291 16,039 259,486 6.2 
			 1982–83 16,423 294 16,717 283,459 5.9 
			 1983–84 20,149 268 20,417 308,331 6.6 
			 1984–85 20,382 780 21,162 330,869 6.4 
			 1985–86 20,911 675 21,586 362,803 5.9 
			 1986–87 22,690 861 23,551 388,131 6.1 
			 1987–88 24,440 935 25,375 431,246 5.9 
			 1988–89 24,758 949 25,707 479,934 5.4 
			 1989–90 25,800 2,197 27,997 525,138 5.3 
			 1990–91 41,190 2,084 43,274 563,715 7.7 
			 1991–92 51,696 2,584 54,280 594,901 9.1 
			 1992–93 56,513 7,863 64,376 615,087 10.5 
			 1993–94 56,134 2,975 59,109 652,820 9.1 
			 1994–95 58,645 2,559 61,204 689,767 8.9 
			 1995–96 58,727 4,580 63,307 729,808 8.7 
			 1996–97 59,860 2,654 62,514 773,146 8.1 
			 1997–98 59,763 2,747 62,510 824,044 7.6 
			 1998–99 61,211 2,785 63,996 870,464 7.4 
			 1999–2000 64,627 3,050 67,677 921,762 7.3 
			 2000–01 67,958 3,921 71,879 965,041 7.4 
			 2001–02 72,488 4,537 77,025 1,006,523 7.7 
			 2002–03 79,333 7,933 87,266 1,062,954 8.2 
			 2003–04 86,465 7,114 93,579 1,121,029 8.3 
			 2004–05 93,713 8,649 102,362 1,175,666 8.7

Overseas Visits

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list all official overseas visits undertaken by officials in his Department, broken down by Directorate, in each year since May 2001; what the cost in cash and real terms was; how many official engagements and meetings were underaken on each visit; how many officials took part in each visit, broken down by grades; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The Treasury's total spending on overseas travel and subsistence (including ministerial travel costs) in 2004–05 was £1,657,000. In relation to the earlier years, I refer to the answer given on 24 January 2005 by the then Financial Secretary (Mr. Timms) to the hon. member for Tatton (Mr. Osborne), 24 January 2005, Official Report, column 156W. Non-financial data on officials' visits are not recorded centrally so the further analysis requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the "ministerial code", the "civil service management code" and the "code of conduct for special advisers".

Energy Efficiency

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment his Department has made of the potential for energy efficiency improvements to reduce energy demand in Wales over the next (a) five, (b) 10, (c) 20 and (d) 50 years; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Ainger: The "Energy Saving Wales Action Plan" sets out the Assembly Government's priorities and plans in respect of energy efficiency in Wales. This is available on the Assembly's website.
	The Government's recently announced energy review will focus on policy measures to help deliver objectives, including those on energy efficiency, beyond 2010.

Olympics

Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what areas of (a) employment, (b) manufacture and (c) sports development in Wales he expects will benefit from the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Peter Hain: The Government are committed to ensuring that the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games maximise the potential for job creation, training and business growth, leaving a lasting social and economic, as well as physical, legacy for the whole of the UK. This is reflected in the "Procurement Principles" published in September which will form the basis of the draft procurement strategy to be adopted by the Olympic Delivery Authority.
	Wales is putting in place a regional working group, involving the Welsh Development Agency, Wales Tourist Board and appropriate representatives from the Welsh Assembly Government. This group will develop plans to maximise business and development opportunities for Wales.
	I believe that hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and events associated with those Games, will inspire the next generation of sportsmen and sportswomen, providing a massive boost to participation at all levels.

Benefits Take-up

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of pensioners in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) Wales and (d) Scotland are (i) entitled to and (ii) receiving one or more of pension credit, council tax benefit and housing benefit; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The information is not available in the format requested.
	The latest available information on the numbers entitled to income related benefits is in "Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take Up in 2002/2003", a copy of which is in the Library.
	The numbers receiving these benefits are in the following tables.
	
		Housing benefit (HB) and council tax benefit (CTB) recipients aged 60 and over and pension credit (PC)recipients by country: May 2005
		
			  HB CTB PC 
			  Caseload Population (percentage) Caseload Population (percentage) Caseload Population (percentage) 
		
		
			 Great Britain 1,518,100 12.4 2,444,500 19.9 2,680,200 21.8 
			 England 1,264,500 12.0 2,029,700 19.3 2,242,500 21.3 
			 Wales 73,300 10.7 136,800 20.0 158,300 23.1 
			 Scotland 180,300 16.4 278,000 25.3 279,000 25.4 
			 Unknown(26) n/a n/a n/a n/a 400 n/a 
		
	
	
		Housing benefit (HB) and council tax benefit (CTB) recipients aged 60 and over also in receipt of pension credit (PC) by country: May 2005
		
			  HB(27) and PC CTB(27) and PC 
			  Caseload Population (percentage) Caseload Population (percentage) 
		
		
			 Great Britain 1,237,500 10.1 1,972,100 16.1 
			 England 1,026,400 9.8 1,634,600 15.6 
			 Wales 62,800 9.2 117,300 17.2 
			 Scotland 148,400 13.5 220,200 20.1 
		
	
	n/a = Not applicable.
	(26) 'Unknown" relates to cases allocated an incorrect postcode, which cannot be assigned to a country or region.
	(27) Figures may include a small number of men aged 60–64 in receipt of income-based Jobseekers Allowance.
	Notes:
	1. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple.
	2. Case loads have been rounded to the nearest hundred and expressed in thousands and percentages have been given to 1 decimal place.
	3. For HB/CTB, figures for any non-responding authorities have been estimated.
	4 Housing benefit figures exclude any extended payment cases.
	5. Council tax benefit totals exclude any second adult rebate cases.
	6. Pension credit replaced MIG on the 6 October 2003 and extended IS entitlement to customers aged 60+.
	7. Countries are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
	8. Population percentages have been calculated using 2004 ONS mid-year population estimates.
	9 "Aged 60 and over" is defined as benefit units where the claimant and/or partner are aged 60 and over. Therefore figures will contain some claimants aged under 60 where there is a partner aged over 60 years.
	10. Percentages of the population are based on the population aged 60+.
	Sources:
	1. Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Quarterly 100 per cent. caseload stock-count taken in May 2005.
	2. DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS).
	3. Office for National Statistics (ONS) mid-2004 population estimates.

Winter Fuel Payment

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners (a) are eligible for and (b) have claimed the winter fuel allowance in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency.

Stephen Timms: It is not possible to provide an estimate of the number of people who are eligible for a winter fuel payment. So far this winter, 1,877 claim forms have been issued to people in the Middlesborough South and East Cleveland constituency and of these 1,212 have been returned and processed. The majority of payments are made automatically without the need to claim. Last winter 18,920 winter fuel payments were made in the Middlesborough South and East Cleveland constituency.

Jobcentre Plus

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many abortive telephone calls were made to Jobcentre Plus by claimants in each month since December 2004, broken down by local call centre.

Margaret Hodge: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. She will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 15 December 2005
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning how many abortive telephone calls were made to Jobcentre Plus by claimants in each month since December 2004, broken down by local call centre. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	When a customer calls they are placed into a queue either until the call is answered or they choose to abandon the call. I have assumed that abandoned calls is what is meant by "abortive" telephone calls. I have, therefore, placed in the House of Commons Library information on the numbers of abandoned contact centre calls made by customers.
	I hope this is helpful.
	
		Number of abandoned calls to each Jobcentre Plus contact centre December 2004 To November 2005
		
			  December January February March April May 
			  Number of weeks in month 
			 First contact inbound telephony Five Four Four Five Four Four 
		
		
			 Chelmsford 1,122 1,148 1,434 2,064 1,144 1,019 
			 Colchester 1,162 1,175 1,283 2,418 895 1,296 
			 Derby 1,512 1,190 5,136 9,065 21,250 12,009 
			 Grimsby 1,596 5,896 815 3,837 1,936 676 
			 Halifax 2,529 6,917 2,930 6,805 3,475 2,092 
			 Lincoln 1,471 2,910 2,263 1,787 2,208 2,823 
			 Lowestoft 3,572 5,628 4,452 12,423 13,133 10,217 
			 Sheffield (29)— 233 815 819 3,337 8,376 
			 Blackburn 672 483 318 962 601 597 
			 Bootle 1,504 1,259 891 1,188 8,158 5,081 
			 Chorlton 1,959 2,555 1,681 2,927 3,161 (29)— 
			 Coventry 671 465 881 7,073 6,054 9,952 
			 Garston 4,576 2,557 695 4,525 3,144 2,754 
			 Telford 142 2,092 1,710 3,110 1,201 1,001 
			 Marton Mere 979 3,109 1,102 1,606 883 919 
			 Aberdeen 876 (29)— (29)— (29)— (29)— (29)— 
			 Aldershot 510 212 207 297 777 374 
			 Banbury 134 620 2,483 2,056 1,747 1,129 
			 Dundee 3,602 5,517 5,395 7,239 5,139 4,399 
			 Gateshead 771 648 227 234 312 818 
			 Hastings 5,801 13,775 3,291 7,278 3,099 12,291 
			 Middlesbrough 3,836 841 465 1,384 2,367 2,225 
			 Milton Keynes 109 621 1,951 1,813 1,728 972 
			 Newcastle 594 548 644 1,285 4,329 9,104 
			 Newport 715 301 117 (29)— (29)— (29)— 
			 Paisley 1,679 2,213 2,924 9,505 3,343 1,176 
			 Portsmouth 812 358 427 469 827 559 
			 Provan 2,256 2,390 1,052 3,898 616 1,105 
			 Bridgend 3,594 858 251 226 340 244 
			 Cwmbran 635 513 450 432 327 227 
			 Harrow 298 431 384 695 356 196 
			 Ilford 2,565 2,228 2,029 2,145 1,778 327 
			 Kennington Park 1,994 1,537 1,449 4,139 2,846 423 
			 Pembroke Dock 7,857 9,533 2,446 3,713 4,655 3,391 
			 Poole 320 880 799 2,419 2,205 523 
			 Taunton 209 269 251 457 353 326 
			 Torquay 403 228 426 1,271 2,699 2,436 
			 Directorate total 63,037 82,138 54,074 111,564 110,243 101,057 
		
	
	
		
			  June July August September October November(28) 
			  Number of weeks in month 
			 First contact inbound telephony Five Four Four Five Four Four 
		
		
			 Chelmsford 2,912 2,878 1,819 2,452 864 416 
			 Colchester 3,500 3,385 (29)— (29)— (29)— (29)— 
			 Derby 7,621 18,317 27,967 26,712 6,063 2,898 
			 Grimsby 1,944 4,057 6,066 5,188 8,283 1,554 
			 Halifax 7,707 9,057 5,550 6,198 3,327 1,103 
			 Lincoln 3,749 4,521 8,619 13,647 4,362 479 
			 Lowestoft 23,925 15,432 14,110 22,246 978 1,844 
			 Sheffield 14,463 15,297 14,323 6,078 146 78 
			 Blackburn 656 631 5,066 8,884 4,047 1,994 
			 Bootle 6,168 10,321 7,561 4,925 1,091 500 
			 Chorlton (29)— (29)— (29)— (29)— (29)— (29)— 
			 Coventry 16,132 16,823 17,813 22,036 11,292 1,482 
			 Garston 7,023 20,420 13,512 16,971 5,585 1,459 
			 Telford 1,398 5,434 9,589 7,005 4,767 548 
			 Marton Mere 1,995 5,618 4,342 3,256 1,449 1,190 
			 Aberdeen (29)— (29)— (29)— (29)— (29)— (29)— 
			 Aldershot 333 20 (29)— (29)— (29)— (29)— 
			 Banbury 2,126 5,010 5,160 2,305 1,635 551 
			 Dundee 7,528 5,585 14,365 22,314 11,922 4,756 
			 Gateshead 1,068 1,111 540 (29)— (29)— (29)— 
			 Hastings 19,662 16,413 20,872 30,925 4,054 786 
			 Middlesbrough 2,743 4,389 6,205 4,624 1,558 898 
			 Milton Keynes 2,224 4,033 3,314 (29)— (29)— (29)— 
			 Newcastle 8,280 3,963 3,926 14,163 5,501 2,674 
			 Newport (29)— (29)— (29)— (29)— (29)— (29)— 
			 Paisley 3,374 2,532 2,893 5,029 3,793 896 
			 Portsmouth 759 1,462 1,293 479 (29)— (29)— 
			 Provan 3,597 4,332 4,902 6,110 1,399 (29)— 
			 Bridgend 1,046 10,896 6,158 11,440 2,830 1,728 
			 Cwmbran 725 215 403 1,286 400 511 
			 Harrow 189 (29)— (29)— (29)— (29)— (29)— 
			 Ilford 40 (29)— (29)— (29)— (29)— (29)— 
			 Kennington Park 3,218 5,058 3,496 3,866 (29)— (29)— 
			 Pembroke Dock 5,748 8,346 12,169 22,311 4,153 2,286 
			 Poole 1,163 3,945 11,010 11,310 1,310 1,388 
			 Taunton 2,507 5,789 5,943 1,968 5,816 1,740 
			 Torquay 3,177 6,396 12,936 13,136 1,916 1,447 
			 Directorate total 168,700 221,686 251,922 296,864 98,541 35,206 
		
	
	(28) Data is for the three weeks of four that have passed so far.
	(29) No longer take first contact benefit calls.